By: Mama A. Touray
Another revenue collector from the Brikama Area Council, Ebrima K Jobarteh, has admitted before the ongoing Local Government Commission of Inquiry that he spent D210,619 of council funds on his medical bills and family issues instead of depositing it into the council’s account.
Jobarteh made this admission when the commission noted that in 2022, Ebrima K Saidy recorded a shortage of D210,619.85, which he admitted, stating that he began paying back the sum.
When asked what the said money was spent on, Jobarteh said it was spent on his medical bills and family. Deputy Lead Counsel Gomez asked the witness how that was possible, considering that the Brikama Area Council had a digitized revenue collection system, and whatever he collected should have been recorded in the system, allowing them to know how much he deposited.
He responded, “I deposit, but I don’t deposit all.”
The witness said he was surprised by the figures the auditors claimed, but upon reconciliation, he realized that the internal auditors were correct.
Ebrima K Jobarteh was also asked about D46,000 and D26,400 collections he made without depositing, to which he admitted not depositing and stated that the D46,000 was a mistake by the auditors; instead, the amount should have been D29,000.
In support of his claim that the amount was supposed to be D29,000 instead of D46,000, he provided a bank deposit receipt.
When further questioned about why he deposited less than what he collected, Jobarteh responded, “I don’t mean to do it, definitely, but because of my situation.”
Chairperson Jainaba Bah asked the witness who was involved in this act, to which he said he did not inform his superiors and that he acted on his own.
Counsel Patrick Gomez told the witness that the excuse he gave for spending the council’s money without banking it was not true. The witness insisted that he spent the money on his medical bills and family issues.
“Almost every page in your cash book has a shortage,” Counsel Gomez told the witness, to which he responded, “The responsibility is too high; I regret this. Definitely, I regret this.”
Ebrima K Jobarteh informed the commission that he made a D25,000 repayment to the Council this month. When asked about the source of the funds, he said his sister (Tako Bayo) in the United States of America sent it through another sister (Fatou Jobarteh).
In 2020, the Commission noted that the witness collected D4,000 without depositing it. Reacting to this, he said, “It could be during the time I was sick, and I forgot about it.”
The witness further admitted that the names of the people from whom the D4,000 was collected were not mentioned in the book.
Counsel Gomez told the witness that he used to collect revenue for three (3) months without depositing the funds into the account and then going for auditing, but he insisted that the funds were being deposited.
He was shown his cash book to confront him, and he noted that from April to June 2019, he did not undergo auditing.
Gomez asked, “Mr. Jobarteh, it is correct that using the money you collected for your private affairs is wrong,” to which he answered, “It is very wrong.”
